Comments by "GH1618" (@GH-oi2jf) on "Holey Plugs, Batman! But... what are they for?" video.

  1. You can hard-wire a charger to 240VAC in the US, but if you use a plug, the charger would normally remain plugged in all the time, just like an electric range.
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  2. If your plug is loose, you need to replace the receptacle with a better one.
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  3. A receptacle that doesn’t hold the plug securely is worn out and needs to be replaced. It was probably a cheap one to begin with.
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  4. We have 240V where we need it.
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  5. They were probably cheap to begin with.
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  6. Right. Two-prong plugs usually have a ridge around the end of the molded part which keeps one’s fingers from sliding forward.
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  7. Phone chargers are so cheap he could have a backup charger hidden somewhere.
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  8. Yes, except I doubt cost of material has anything to do with it. There would also be a small cost of handling all those little pieces for recycling.
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  9. Hubbell’s original design used round pins, but he soon switched to flat prongs. The flat prong provides better contact. When a plug isn’t held securely, it’s the fault of the receptacle, not the plug. Unfortunately, the cheapest receptacles are the ones most widely sold in hardware stores.
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  10. In order to be electrocuted, he would have to complete a circuit through his body. Apparently he didn’t.
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  11. I don’t see shaving foam anywhere.
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  12. Because there is no point to it. We can have switched outlets where we want them, and sometimes we do. We don’t have many because there is no need for a switch on most outlets.
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  13. If you are shocked by a higher voltage, there will be more amperage.
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  14. They are safe enough. You won’t die if you touch a prong. You might learn not to touch it again. A coating on the prong would interfere with making a good contact. I have never in my long life accidently received a shock while inserting or removing a plug from a common 120VAC receptacle.
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  15. It’s just due to cheap receptacles.
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  16. I’m pretty old and I have never been shocked when inserting or removing a NEMA 1-15 plug. I’ve never heard of anyone being shocked that way. Should somebody be shocked, it’s only 120V to ground, so is not especially dangerous. I have been shocked a couple of times in my life in other ways, but I was being reckless. The notion that our plugs are unsafe is just European propaganda. The common plugs are simple, reliable, and inexpensive. We still use this old design because it’s a good design. The modern way to make power outlets safer is to use a breaker with a ground fault trip.
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  17. The hole is for a retention device. The original Hubbell plugs contained a slightly different retention provision. It was needed because the light bulb came before the plug and receptacle. The light bulb screwed into the Edison socket we still use today. When the first plug was invented, it could be plugged into an adapter which screwed into the Edison socket. Because it would be hanging from an overhead socket, it needed retention. The plug we use today is a little different from the original, but the holes serve the same purpose of allowing for a retention mechanism. The fact that most receptacles today do not use the holes is just a consequence of the fact that we no longer hang cords from light fixtures. A receptacle mounted in a wall doesn’t need it. The holes persist because there is no important reason to change the design. It would be interesting to find an old adapter for an Edison socket to dissect. That’s where retention is important.
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